Best Golf Courses in Germany | Golf World Top 100

Best Golf Courses in Germany

The best golf courses in Germany include a strong mix of heathland, links and parkland layouts.

Why you can trust our ranking of the best golf courses in Germany

I have produced these guides, with the help of Golf World‘s expert Top 100 panel, for a host of mainland Europe’s countries, including Belgium, Norway, Turkey, and Iceland, in the hope of inspiring you to visit a new destination.

Our Top 100 panel has been ranking Europe’s best courses since many of you took up the game and has the most comprehensive knowledge in the game, which is why you can trust this to be the most accurate reflection of the best golf courses in Germany.

As always, I look forward to hearing your verdicts and travel tales. We’d love to hear from you via email, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

And, once you’ve enjoyed this ranking, please do take a look at how Germany’s best golf courses rank in our guides to the best modern golf courses in Europe and the continent’s best golf resorts.

Chris Bertram, Golf World Top 100 Editor

Best Golf Courses in Germany

1. Falkenstein

Falkenstein is a Harry Colt heathland course in Hamburg from 1930 and a clear winner as the best golf course in Germany. It’s one of the top-25 golf courses in Continental Europe.

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2. Budersand

Budersand is a links course created out of a former military site on the island of Sylt by Rolf Hansen. It’s been a fixture in our list of the top-50 best golf courses in Continental Europe for a decade.

3. Koln Refrath

Koln Refrath is a Bernhard von Limburger-designed 1955 parkland on sandy ground. Excellent routing and varied holes with classic green complexes.

4. Winston (Links Course)

Fake links by David Krause in the Schwerin region. Divides opinion with manufactured pyramid dunes, but it has the X Factor.

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5. Frankfurter

A Harry Colt on sandy, undulating land. Opened in 1930 and a regular German Open host. Fine routing and impressive variety.

6. Hubbelrath

Bernhard von Limburger hillside creation from 1961, and the best option in Dusseldorf. The green complexes are its standout feature.

7. Sporting Club (Faldo Course)

Sir Nick Faldo’s 1997 work in Berlin is a kind of fake-look links with no trees and pot bunkers. Very challenging.

8. Schloss Wilkendorf

Sandy Lyle opened this course in 1995 close to Berlin and impressed us with its routing, though the bunkers are a touch oversized.

9. Sporting Club (Palmer Course)

Arrived two years before the Faldo Course, but Arnie’s track didn’t excite as it has before.

10. Club Zur Vahr Garlstedt

A Bernhard von Limburger forest course in Bremen from 1963. Some Continental Top 100 panellists loved the original.

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11. Dusseldorf

A Fred Hawtree design that opened in 1960, an adventurous hillside routing over interesting topography.

12. Elmpter Wald

An intriguing heathland from the ’50s. Undulating terrain used to good effect.

13. Bad Ems

Koblenz course by Herbert Gaertner on hilly, forested land from the 1930s.

14. Reichswald

Another von Limburger layout, on sandy, flat terrain among a pine forest in Nurnberg.

15. Beuerberg

Munich course by the Harradine firm from 1980, created out of a former swamp.

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16. Fohr

A Frank Pennink parkland-links hybrid.

17. Rethmar

Hannover course by Arnold Palmer Design, opened in 1997 on open, generally flat land.

18. St Dionys

Flat heathland course from the early 1970s.

19. St Leon-Rot (St Leon Course)

Former Solheim Cup host in Heidelberg, a muscular, modern course on open, flat land.

20. Wannsee

Undulating sandy terrain worked nicely by Butchart and Colt in the 1920s.

21. Seddiner See (South Course)

Berlin-based Robert Trent Jones Jnr course.

22. Fleesensee (Schloss)

Huge resort with tough Stan Eby 1990s track.

23. Gut Larchenhof

An open course on clay-based, generally flat land, worked hard by Nicklaus Design in ’96.

24. Feldafing

Another von Limburger, this time in Munich. We enjoyed its adventure.

25. Winston (Open Course)

Climbs and falls over hilly land.

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